The Conversation
by Bianca White
Summary: Late durring the summer after the trio's fourth year, Harry is at the Burrow and finds out that he's not the only one who can't sleep.


Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, the Burrow, or the inevitable R/H. They all belong too much more important people who make much more money then I do. (Because I'm broke and this isn't helping, nor should it.)  
  
  
  
  
  
The Conversation  
  
By Bianca White  
  
  
  
Harry slowly walked down the stairs and into the kitchen. Even though he had only been to the Burrow a few times it had soon become familiar to him even in the dark. He could of course navigate his Uncle's house at number four privet Drive during the night. But it had never felt like the second home away from Hogwarts the he had at the Burrow.  
  
Harry could not remember being loved before he came to Hogwarts and got to know his best friend Ron and his family. He was sure that his parents had told him how much the cared for him many times, but he had been too young to remember. The reason for this was Voldemort. Voldemort was the one who seemed to start all of Harry's problems beginning with the murder of his parents when Harry was just over a year old. Now that Harry was 15, things were still at bad and it didn't look like they would get better anytime soon.  
  
As Harry turned to go outside, the weight of what had happened last June hit him very hard. Living the first month and a half of the summer with only correspondence to reassure him that there were still people who cared for him was not easy and he had plenty of time to think of what happened in the graveyard from every angle. But no matter how many times he thought about it the pain only seemed to get worse. The entire Weasley family had avoided all mention of the event, and even with Ron and Hermione he still didn't feel ready to discuss it.  
  
Off in the distance Harry saw a shape on the stonewall near the edge of the Weasley's back garden.  
  
As he took a few more steps he recognized the bushy hair and smiled as he saw Hermione looking up at the stars.  
  
"Her-hermione."  
  
"Ah! Oh, it's you," Hermione breathed a sigh of relief as Harry's frightened face turned into a smile.  
  
"May I sit down?" he asked.  
  
"Of course!" She said motioning beside her. "You couldn't sleep either?"  
  
Harry shook his head as he stared at the ground.  
  
"I understand," she said as she looked up to the moon from the spot that Harry was still transfixed on. "I don't suppose you want to talk about it?" she added cautiously.  
  
Harry replied with looking first at her and then shaking his head at the moon.  
  
Hermione frowned slightly at what seemed a hurt expression on his face. "Ron and I are here for you, when you feel like talking."  
  
Hermione inched closer as she said this, not sure of what Harry's response would be.  
  
"I know," he said looking back at her. Harry nodded slightly and a touch of a smile formed on his face. He glanced back at Hermione from a small patch of ground near his right foot and noticed a very 'Hermione' look on her face. It was the same face she put on when she was trying to think of just the right way to phrase the next sentence for an essay.  
  
"But Harry, there's someone else that you should talk to as well." Harry's expression turned to confusion.  
  
"Cho," she said plainly. "She deserves to know the truth,"  
  
"But -" Harry started to interrupt.  
  
"And to hear it from you." Hermione put a solemn expression on her face to match Harry's as she stared at him.  
  
"Hermione," Harry started and then paused. "You know I don't like Cho anymore, right?"  
  
"Of course Harry!" Hermione smiled as she laughed. "I expected you to change your mind about her after what happened, and Ron said that you told him."  
  
Hermione slowed down her normally fast paced speech as she mentioned her other best friend. She looked away and tried hard not to fidget.  
  
"Hermione, you didn't go to Bulgaria, did you?"  
  
Hermione kept staring away from the inquisitive look on Harry's face as she ran her fingers over her thumb. "No" she said quietly.  
  
"And it wasn't just because of.what happened, was it?" Harry already knew the answer but thought it best to ask.  
  
"No," Hermione said dejectedly as she looked back to the ground.  
  
"Okay." Harry said confidently.  
  
"That's it?" she asked. "You haven't got anymore questions?"  
  
"No, I've got all I need to know." Harry started to rise but Hermione pulled him back down.  
  
"Harry, just don't tell Ron."  
  
Hermione wore a pleading expression as Harry sank back beside her.  
  
"He'll tease me either way," Hermione said almost nervously. "And I'd rather have him pester me about which it is then about why I didn't go."  
  
Harry looked a bit more purposely at Hermione and thought he saw a faint blush on her cheeks. He didn't dare hazard asking a question about it though, for he was fairly certain that it really involved one particular red head and not the cool temperature outside.  
  
He smiled again at Hermione knowing that she and Ron truly fancied each other. It was the only way that many events last year (most prominently of which was the Yule Ball,) would make sense.  
  
"Sure," Harry said with a smile. "I understand completely."  
  
They both stood up to go back into the house when Hermione reached over to give Harry a hug.  
  
"You're a great friend," she stated. "I couldn't ask anymore of you."  
  
They both smiled silently as they walked into the house. Before they reached the door Harry stopped Hermione turned her to him.  
  
"I wanted to let you know," he said, "That I couldn't be happier for you and Ron."  
  
Harry opened the door and waited inside for a very shocked and red Hermione to follow him through.  
  
  
  
~Fin~  
  
A/N: Thanks for reading (and please review!) I'd first like to thank my beta Chaser-Chick (go read her stuff after you review, it's good!) to whom I am eternally grateful and really made me want to post this. ( Just to let you know, this has been a plot bunny in my head for the longest time and now it's been set free! It's also one of the things that I seriously think will happen in book five in one form or another (but we won't know that for a long, long time.) Now you can review. 


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